Culture calendar 2025: From movies to music to theatre and more, a look at the year ahead

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Movies

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We did it, Hollywood – we survived till 2025! The lingering aftereffects of the strikes, the pandemic, the streaming wars – that should all be settled now, right? That’s certainly the hope that’s keeping the film industry afloat for the next 12 months. And, perhaps, the following 10 films. Some are big-budget wannabe blockbusters, some are smaller affairs that might find success as counterprogramming. All have a good chance of keeping multiplexes alive, and staying in the mix till 2026. (All release dates are subject to change.) -Barry Hertz

Read Barry Hertz’s list of the 10 most promising movies of 2025

Albums

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It’s already time to start thinking about next year’s best music. The first few months of 2025’s album catalogue are already filling up with tales of escapism, of unexpected self-destruction, of growing up, of embracing fun – and, if Clipse delivers, of a family reunion. -Josh O’Kane

Read Josh O’Kane’s list of five albums we’re excited for in 2025

Concerts

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This is the year that Oasis finally makes their long-awaited comeback, and the Drake-Kendrick Lamar superfeud lands on our home turf. Here’s a curated guide to the best tours and concerts coming to Canada in 2025. -Brad Wheeler

Read Brad Wheeler’s list of six performances to watch for in 2025

Theatre

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This was a recovery year for theatres across Canada, with scaled-back productions and shorter seasons because of the rising cost of, well, everything. Lumber has become prohibitively expensive, making it more costly to build high-quality sets, and rising inflation has made it tough for audiences to justify spending their earnings on theatre tickets.

That said, 2025 has tons of promising programming across the country, including a bevy of crowd-pleasers that will hopefully entice folks to take a risk and spend some dough to watch a show. -Aisling Murphy

Read Aisling Murphy’s roundup of the most promising theatre in 2025

Television

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The year 2025 will, once again, be one of belated returns in the television business, which still hasn’t regained a regular rhythm after a pandemic and a pair of Hollywood strikes.

The anticipated second seasons of Severance (Apple TV+) and The Last of Us (HBO, Crave) are arriving this winter two years on from their firsts, while the sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale’s (Disney+) is set for the spring nearly three years after its penultimate instalment.

Brand-new shows expected from prominent creators such as Girls’ Lena Dunham (Too Much, Netflix) and Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan (a new sci-fi series, Apple TV+) don’t have release dates yet – or, in the case of the latter, even a set title. Expect the unexpected – and to wait for the expected – in the ever-evolving streaming era of the small screen. -J. Kelly Nestruck

Read J. Kelly Nestruck’s list of five shows to watch for in 2025

Visual Arts

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Five must-visit shows and exhibitions at galleries across Canada this coming year.

Read Kate Taylor’s roundup of five must-visit shows and exhibitions at galleries across Canada in 2025.

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